The "P" word
The worst-kept secret in Sabreland these days is the fact that the team's AHL affiliate next season will be in Portland, Maine. You won't get anybody in the organization to talk about it much or even say the name of that city. It's been a we're-studying-our-options (wink-wink) topic for weeks about the messy depature from Rochester and the move to Lobsterland.
But Tuesday's Tim Kennedy press conference marked the first time the team admitted the move is imminent. Darcy Regier said an announcement on a new farm team is coming in "days" even though he never said the P-word either. Portland officially became open Tuesday afternoon when the Anaheim Ducks moved their minor-league operations from Maine to Des Moines, Iowa (here's the Des Moines Register report).
Meanwhile, the Portland Pirates issued a statement thanking the Ducks for their affiliation and promising bigger and better things with their new parent (wink-wink II). The statement also tweaked a bizarre headline in Tuesday's Portland Press Herald that called the Pirates' future "unsettled." Excuse me? The story even says the Pirates are joining with the Sabres. Silly.
Anyway, here's a key part of the statement from Portland Managing Owner/CEO Brian Petrovek: "We will be introducing our new NHL affiliate to our fans in the near future. ... our future has never been brighter, our expectations never higher. We’re looking forward to the next chapter of Portland Pirates Hockey with a great deal of excitement and optimism."
---Mike Harrington
